Shock for psychic: I never saw that coming

Natalie Bochenski

When Gwen Gordon was told she had been voted into the Australian Psychics Association Hall of Fame, she almost fell off her chair.

“It was one hell of a shock!” says the 84-year-old, who is better known on the Gold Coast as the medium Kawena.

“After a while I got my head together and thought 'What an honour'. I had no expectation.”

But isn't that her job, to see the future?

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“Well, you know it's never as easy to read yourself or your best friend as it is to read strangers,” she laughs.

“I always say 85 per cent. We're not perfect.”

The Australian Psychics Association is marking its 30th anniversary in 2013, and has listed the awards in its 2013 Australian Psychics Directory, now available in newsagents.

Ms Gordon's Hall of Fame acclaim, voted by her peers, comes after 33 years working as a clair-audient and clair-sentient (clear hearing and clear sensing). She came to the profession in her early 50s after a gypsy taught her how to read tea leaves.

“She knew what I didn't know I had.”

After seeing a vision of an angel, she turned to card reading.

“I believe the cards never lie – we don't pick them, we are pointed towards the right card.

“We might misinterpret a tiny little bit, but we get ideas from the cards and go and ask angels or guides for more detail.”

Debbie Malone has been named the 2013 Australian Psychic of the Year.

The 49-year-old from Sydney suffered a near-death experience after a miscarriage 21 years ago, and woke up claiming to see dead people.

“At first it was pretty frightening,” she admits.

Ms Malone says she was tormented by dreams and visions of the Belanglo backpacker murders, and wound up passing what she saw to police.

Since then she's worked with police on a number of other cases.

“I've worked with the cadaver dog unit and gone out on location to assist with searches,” she says. “I have to admit I haven't ever found a body, but my information has been put into briefs for the coroner at different times. I think I'm just another tool that can be utilised.”

After seeking help on controlling her visions, Ms Malone now sees and hears the spirits of the dead, but finds their presence more comforting, something she tries to pass along to clients in mourning.

“Instead of thinking of it as a negative, if you can turn it into a positive and help people, that makes it all worthwhile.”

Ms Gordon says information is revealed to her in many different ways – gut feelings, flashes of colour, symbols, or words. She understands scepticism about psychics, saying she wasn't much of a believer herself until she became one.

“But I tell you something when any of those people see something special, they are amazing believers. They just need to see or feel the experience. It makes a difference to some people and that's their right.”

"I'm not there to change people's minds, but if I can open people's minds and get them to think – it's more a matter of experience and trying to help people.”

Bob Bruce, from the Queensland Skeptics Association, says psychics are often insightful people who are good at making assumptions about personalities, deducing preferences and problems, and are helped by clients' willingness to put more emphasis on the hits than the misses.

“When they follow those intuitive pathways, the client will agree with them, and reinforce their feelings about themselves,” he says.

“But when it comes to a clinical situation where you can control variables and so forth, they have no more predictive powers than the rest of us.”

As far as the future goes, Ms Gordon believes the change of era heralded by the end of the Mayan calendar will slowly bring about a more peaceful world.

Ms Malone agrees, but expresses concern about another possible sharemarket crash in the US in February, and more dramatic weather events around south-east Asia.

We asked both psychics and the sceptic to make some other predictions about 2013.

Gwen Gordon: I have no idea because I'm not in there and connected. If we're talking colours, all I see is orange.

Debbie Malone: I don't follow football – they're just telling me Queensland. That's a bit sad, I'm from New South Wales!

Bob Bruce: Queensland.

Will Prince William and Kate Middleton have a baby boy or girl – and what will they name it?

Gwen Gordon: A girl. I'm getting the “A” initial.

Debbie Malone: I'm seeing a girl. The name Victoria has jumped out at me.

Bob Bruce: A boy. For names, look back at history, so Charles or George. Or Geoffrey!

29 comments so far

Thanks for the story though perhaps a water skiing budgie might be more relevant to reality.

Commenter

Cynic

Location

on line

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 8:18AM

Almost 2013 and people still listen to these charlatans. Make them prove their ability or charge them with obtaining money by deception. She even gives herself an excuse as to why she might get it wrong. Wake up!

Commenter

Bustin

Location

Earth

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 8:36AM

Hi Busitn,

The only prediction she does get right is that there are plenty of suckers out there stupid enough to fall for and truly believe her's and every other psychic's scam - unfortunately.

To everyone else reading this post (and I predict you will); here is my insightful psychic prediction for next year:

'There will be a war or sensless violence happening almost every day of the year next year'.

Dam I should go into this psychic business with revelations of the future like that hahahaha.

Commenter

Evan

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 11:01AM

Hey Evan,

will I win tattslotto next year?

Commenter

MartianBeerPig

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 12:36PM

Hi MartianBeerPig,

Yeah why not. If you buy a ticket you could be a winner - I'm just not going to predict which division you will win in though hehehe.

The other psychics give good news predictions so why shouldn't I? Let me consult the shavings in my pencil sharpener, the bunions on my feet, the mystical arrangements of finger nail cuttings in the bin, and all pigeons that sit on statues and I'll get right back to you with the good news - it will be just accurate a prediction as those psychics that normally sane people pay good money too.

Commenter

Evan

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 2:26PM

I'll sure to spend the money on useful stuff like powerbands, colloidal silver and homoeopathy

Commenter

MartianBeerPig

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 7:14PM

Sounds like a great candidate for the JREF million dollar challange http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/1239-mdc-changes.html

Commenter

TJ

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 8:47AM

Dear supposed "psychics" and "mediums" - when providing predictions, please provide a higher degree of data than simply "...I have an initial "A".

Preferably, provide full names and if possible, draw details that correspond to your "visions" or whatever you claim to "see".

Furthermore, to bring your field in line with science, please provide your margin of error with each prediction so that those of us of more skeptical dispositions can evaluate.

Commenter

Daniel V

Location

Croydon, Melbourne, VIC

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 10:31AM

Who's going to win the Origin? "oh sorry im not connected" (Read: "I don't follow league so i don't know who the teams are, so it's a bit hard to make a vague, educated guess to which others can apply specific meaning like I usually do")

Commenter

Mick

Location

Melb

Date and time

December 20, 2012, 10:49AM

why are all these people working with there abilities they should be able to get the lotto numbers every week